Stan Collymore – CaughtOffside

Collymore: England have a massive inferiority complex that’s stopping them winning tournaments

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:39:37 +0000

When England qualified for the final of Euro 2024, given the way in which they’d play to reach the showpiece, there was enough of a reason for supporters to believe that the Three Lions had their name on the cup.

Gareth Southgate’s side were far from their best throughout the tournament, and yet somehow dragged themselves to Berlin where they’d eventually be undone by a brilliant Spain side.

England did have their moments, but Stan Collymore believes their failure to get over the line in major tournaments is down to a massive inferiority complex that they have.

England’s inferiority complex is continuing to hurt them

“It’s always been the same for England for over 50 years. I think that there is this feeling of inferiority at international level because of our record and because of the hype. “It’s coming home, 60 years of hurt….,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“People say that English players play well at their clubs because they’ve got foreigners around. That’s rubbish. Phil Foden’s performances and Jude Bellingham’s performances were because of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, not because they have foreigners around them. Likewise, Harry Kane.

“I can certainly say, thanks to my own brief foray with England, that you feel that you have to play this mythical thing called international football that is more cerebral, that is more intelligent, so you end up doing things you normally wouldn’t, and that’s where the passing along the back comes from.

England have a massive inferiority complex says Stan Collymore

“[…] I think we’ve got to have a look at what are the hallmarks of English football. One is tempo, two is intensity, three is aggression, and four is attacking, and I think we actually need to have those as cornerstones.

“A lot of the guys that play for England now, they have seen the Barcelona of 2011 and the Spanish sides of 2008-2012, and gone “we need to keep possession and slow the tempo,” but that’s the antithesis of what the very best of English football is about.

“If you want proof, every time that we went behind in the Euros, we upped the tempo, upped the aggression and got back in the game.”

Although one never had a feeling that England were a team that sometimes played like a ‘frightened rabbit in the headlights,’ there was very much a feeling, particularly against Spain, that the Three Lions were always going for the safety first option.

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That things were a little cagey and no one really wanted to put their head above the parapet and grab the game by the scruff of the neck like the Turkish or Georgian sides were doing in their games, for example.

If England are consistently making it to the business end of tournaments, then the players need to puff out their chests and play brave, front foot, attacking football.

They deserve to be in such esteemed company, so it’s about time that English football and England footballers believed it.

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Exclusive: England should consider a female coach to replace Southgate but Lee Carsley is the FA’s man

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:20:26 +0000

It’s not unfair to suggest that the England national team are in a much better place now than when Gareth Southgate took over, even if the Three Lions failed at the final hurdle again in an international tournament.

There’s a real togetherness about the group which can be seen in the fighting spirit when they’ve gone behind, and after games too. Southgate exudes a genuine warmth which has been reciprocated.

Now that he’s gone, attention will turn to who will be handed the task of bringing success to the England team, ideally as soon as World Cup 2026.

It’s a tall order, but Stan Collymore believes he knows the route that the FA will go down.

Lee Carsley will be the FA’s man for the England job says Collymore

“Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman should definitely be in the conversation to be the new England men’s first-team manager because they’re successful football managers in their own right, they know the FA system and the inner workings of it,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“The reasons that they won’t be are because I think there will be a feeling inside the Football Association that ‘we’ve got the best group of players ever, and we don’t need experiments.’

“How will a group of men react to a woman manager? Would they subconsciously think ‘no she can’t do the job, she’s only managed Chelsea Women’ for example, and that’s the reality.

Sarina Wiegman should be in the conversation to take over the England men’s job from Gareth Southgate according to Stan Collymore

“Only one step above that would be Lee Carsley and I’ve got a sneaky feeling it’s going to be him. Why?

“The FA’s St George’s Park system was designed to produce players and coaches for the elite level, and with Lee Carsley, they’ve done that from scratch. They’ve invested a lot of money in him to get to this point, and his England U21 team is, pound for pound, the best England team that I’ve ever seen.”

There’s also a cogent argument Collymore details elsewhere in his column which suggests that Carsley would be an underwhelming appointment because he isn’t the big name that supporters want.

Of course, there’s no guarantee of success even if the FA were to land a Pep Guardiola, for instance. After all, Fabio Capello came incredibly highly rated, and look how that turned out.

From an England perspective, whoever is eventually given the keys to the door has to hit the ground running and continue the good work that Southgate has started.

If they don’t, the Three Lions could be stuck back in the international wilderness for years.

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Collymore: Kane needed rest and Bellingham was too keen at Euro 2024

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:02:19 +0000

So near and yet so far. The usual story for England at international tournaments.

Whilst the Three Lions have come the closest they ever have to adding to their 1966 World Cup win under Gareth Southgate’s stewardship, the plain fact of the matter is that the national team still haven’t got over the line.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were particularly underwhelming, and when you consider the calibre of player that has pulled on the shirt over the years, that’s nothing less than a disgrace.

But how can it be changed?

Kane and Bellingham were disappointing for England

Stan Collymore believes it’s time that the big names fall in line with the rest of the squad.

“In terms of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham’s individual performances, I’m not so worried about Jude because I think that this was his first tournament on the back of the elation of winning La Liga and the Champions League and being the best player for Real Madrid,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“I think that he came flying out of the blocks in in the first half of the first game at the Euros, but then the drop off in the second half of the first game was was noticeable. He’s got to manage his minutes, his emotional state and his physical state much better.

“Harry had an excuse of already playing year in and year out, whether it be for club or country, in the Premier League, Bundesliga, at World Cups, pre and post-season tournaments, and I think he was genuinely knackered.

“We’ve had this sort of problem before of course, going right the way back to Jimmy Greaves. He got injured before the World Cup in 66, Geoff Hurst comes in and scores a hat-trick in the final, and then stays in the side forever. It happened with Gary Lineker too, and Alan Shearer.

“We had at least 10 strikers waiting to step into Shearer’s shoes at international level, but no one could get a look in even when he went 12 England games without scoring, which would be unthinkable now for any striker.

“From my perspective, I’d like to think that the next coach would look at Harry Kane and say, ‘ok, you’re the number nine, you’ve scored a load of goals over the last decade, but if you’re not doing the business, we’re going to take you off at 60 minutes’ etc.

“Gareth Southgate, to his credit, has smashed the glass ceiling now, and although subbing Kane or leaving him out entirely could have been done sooner, the precedent has been set.

“In future, no matter the name, if you’re playing poorly, the national team coach has to have the bravery to make those big calls for the good of everyone, including themselves.”

It’s hard to disagree with Collymore’s opinion. If it’s all about winning games and winning tournaments for a manager, than outside pressures need to take a back seat.

Managers do have to be brave in making what might ostensibly be considered as bold decisions, whilst players themselves have a duty to hold their hands up if they’re not at it.

Bellingham’s ‘who else’ statement after putting away that last minute overhead kick came back to bite him later in the tournament, because there were a number of players on the bench that could’ve arguably given more to the cause than the 21-year-old.

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Collymore: England finally have a squad and a manager to be proud of

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:32:38 +0000

When Ollie Watkins slammed home the last-minute winner for England against the Netherlands in the semi-final of Euro 2024, a nation cheered with him.

It’s the first time in history that a Three Lions side have reached a major final that hasn’t taken place in England, and it marks a new dawn for English football.

Though Gareth Southgate’s side are still to get over the line in a major tournament, he has shown the way, in terms of how to get the best out of a group of players.

Calm and measured but with a steely determination, Southgate has gone about his business with aplomb, and though England started slowly in the competition, they remain one of only two teams left standing.

The smart money will be on Spain to wipe the floor with England, however, it’s just 11 vs 11 and anyone can have an off day.

Even if England, ultimately, fail at the final hurdle again, Southgate can leave the post with his head held high.

How to buy tickets for England vs Spain

“I really enjoyed England’s performance against the Netherlands. It was a lot more assured, a lot more assertive, a lot more aggressive. When the Dutch scored, there was always an element of ‘here we go again,’ but England got that slice of luck with the penalty. I’d be very disappointed if that was given against me as a player and I was very surprised that the referee’s original decision wasn’t upheld. Incredibly fortuitous,” Stan Collymore said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“After that I thought for pretty much the entirety of the match, 70 plus minutes, England were the better team.

“It shows how far we’ve come that the expectation in this tournament to date hadn’t been met, and for an England team to dominate possession of the ball against the Dutch is quite remarkable – and that may not get commented on as much as it should.

“It’s a massive vindication of the St George’s Park project, of English coaches and English coaching, and of the talent that we’re now producing.

England have a team to be proud of says Stan Collymore

“England used to play the Dutch and you’d think to yourself ‘how are we going to get the ball back?’ and on Wednesday I watched an English team play a Dutch team where the Netherlands players were running around wondering when they were going to get the ball back. That could be a real watershed moment for English football in many ways.

“I still think that Harry Kane is labouring a little bit, but the main positive is that we now know that another glass ceiling can be broken.

“The captain of the national team can be taken off and there won’t be any sort of division amongst England fans because there are now players coming through – like Ollie Watkins – that can provide those golden moments. That’s massive. That’s absolutely massive.

“Credit has to be given to Gareth Southgate because he said all the way through, judge him on results.

“He’s obviously been wounded by some of the personal stuff, which I think is out of order. You can criticise somebody, and we have, rightly so, because of performances, without it being personal.”

Sunday can’t come soon enough, and if England want to make history and win the first piece of major silverware since 1966, each and every player has to leave everything on the pitch.

The last thing anyone wants is for those associated with the national team to think ‘if only we could’ve done this better.’

It’s Southgate’s last dance, and a new man in charge might break up this team too.

No time like the present, Gareth…

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Exclusive: Crystal Palace don’t need to worry if Marc Guehi follows Michael Olise out of Selhurst Park

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:59:27 +0000

He’s been one of the revelations of Euro 2024, and Crystal Palace and England defender, Marc Guehi, could well be said to have been putting in some ‘shop window’ performances for his country.

It’s believed that the 23-year-old was considering his club future before flying out to Germany with the national team, and the standard of his performances during the tournament will have certainly got a few clubs taking notice.

Whilst the Eagles wouldn’t necessarily welcome any bids for their player, especially in light of recently losing Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, Stan Collymore believes that Palace will cope with the loss of both players.

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“If Crystal Palace can bring in up to £100m in sales over the next two or three years, with a progressive coach and an academy that continues to produce good players, they’ll be very happy,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“They’ll look at the situation and say that ideally they’d have liked to build like Brighton or other progressive clubs have, get some success and into Europe before having to start to shed our players.

“When you are seen as a mid-table ‘smaller’ club you are going to have other people look at your players, and to lose Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze in the same window would be concerning – but the reality is it doesn’t matter.

Crystal Palace don’t need to worry if they lose Marc Guehi says Stan Collymore.

“However, they’ve got a state of the art training facility and still have plenty of very good players. I mean, we haven’t even mentioned Adam Wharton and I don’t think they’d let him go.

“If Crystal Palace get some decent money in, Steve Parish can ask himself the question as to whether he has somebody that he would trust to spend it wisely, and in Oliver Glasner, yes, the manager has done very well so far. He looks like somebody that’s going to be there for the longer term.

“So this isn’t Roy Hodgson that’s being given a war chest of £70m, they’ve got a young, vibrant manager with a very, very good style of play who, if you gave him the resources, will ensure Crystal Palace go from strength to strength.”

Indeed, as Glasner showed at the end of the 2023/24 season, his Palace side can beat anyone on their day.

Winning six of their last seven matches, they took three points off the likes of Liverpool – at Anfield, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa.

As long as chairman, Steve Parish, continues to back his man in the transfer market, then Glasner has every chance of creating something special in South London.

Guehi might not want to be part of that but it could end up being his loss as the grass isn’t always greener.

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Collymore: West Ham finally moving towards big club status

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:39:09 +0000

It’s been a long time coming, but London’s sleeping giant, West Ham United, finally appear to be on the verge of something special according to Stan Collymore.

Though David Moyes was never the most popular manager with the fan base principally because his style of football was anathema to all they hold dear, he did get the Hammers into Europe for three seasons running, and brought them their first major silverware in over four decades.

The hire of Julen Lopetegui potentially takes them to a different level altogether, and if the Spaniard can hit the ground running at the London Stadium, there’s no telling just how far the East Londoner’s can go this season.

How to buy tickets for England vs Spain

Collymore certainly believes that the club have turned a corner.

“I think that we got it absolutely spot on in this column previously about West Ham having to make sure that Lopetegui’s ego, which is big, is assuaged and pandered to,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“The fact that he wanted a player that he worked with at Wolves in Max Kilman, and West Ham got him straightaway, tells you that the club have effectively said ‘we’ll back you.’

“So that’s a really positive sign and it’s one step forward and not two steps back, but another one forward for a change.

“Like other clubs, they will get mentioned and linked with several players over the next few weeks, but I think that Lopetegui has his wish list, and they’ve got target number one.

West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui

“The manager will already feel like he can walk into the office and start to put his plans for pre-season together, knowing that the West Ham board are going to put their money where their mouth is.

“They did put in a lower bid for Kilman which was turned down, but the West Ham of old would’ve walked away. Not anymore.

“They’ve got a very good, top 10 squad already, and on the back of the Euros if they want to tap into the whole ‘West Ham won the World Cup’ thing, they all of a sudden become a more attractive proposition for players.”

For far too long now, it’s always been a case of what might’ve been for West Ham.

They’ve had a good standard of players in their starting XI but not too much in the way of strength in depth.

Their Achilles heel has always been lifting their performance levels against supposed ‘smaller’ clubs too.

Beat a top team one week, lose against a relegation-threatened opponent the next. It’s the way it’s always been.

Perhaps with technical director, Tim Steidten, pulling the strings off the pitch and Lopetegui doing the same on it, that way of working will be a thing of the past.

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Sancho and Greenwood have been let down by Man United says Collymore

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:20:48 +0000

Man United are looking forward expectantly after the final piece of the puzzle in terms of the make up of the club’s board was put into place.

Dan Ashworth had taken an age to join the club but he can now move forward with his colleagues and first-team manager, Erik ten Hag, to help bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.

Two players, Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood, would, under normal circumstances, be crucial to United’s aspirations, but their well publicised issues have meant that a move away is a certainty.

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Certainly, Sir Jim Ratcliffe doesn’t appear to be in any mood to allow the slate to be wiped clean and the former England internationals given a second chance.

Stan Collymore believes that, in fact, United have let down both players as they look to resurrect their careers elsewhere.

“I think that both Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood were unfortunate to be at the madhouse over the past few years that is Manchester United,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“Sancho being dug out by the manager in particular isn’t helpful at all, and his form back at Dortmund proved that.

Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood at Man United.

“In terms of Greenwood, it was and is a very serious situation. We all saw the videos, we all saw the pictures, and I’m a massive believer – I have to be because of my own mistakes in life – that you get an opportunity to learn and move forward, and Getafe allowed him to do that.

“There was very toxic way in which his situation was talked about amongst Manchester United fans, men and women. I doubt that there’s a way back for him there, and I think that makes it very difficult for him to come back to an English club too.”

Both players would also have been a shoo-in for the England national team at Euro 2024 if things had’ve been different, and Collymore doesn’t believe the international door is closed yet – at least not in Sancho’s case.

“For both of them to play abroad now is a is a good thing and I think they’ll get plenty of offers because of England being on the world stage at the moment after their win over the Netherlands. There’s a lot of positive connotations after that performance and result,” he added.

“They should go and enjoy a career outside of the English top flight, because yes, to a degree, Man United and English football has failed them.

“I wish them both very well because they’re both extremely talented players, and in a year’s time, if Sancho is doing what we know he can do, there’s nothing to say that by that point, the next England manager doesn’t look to bring him back into the fold.

“For Greenwood I think it’s more difficult because if he plays for England again, everybody – media, women’s groups and the general public – will say that he shouldn’t be.

“Despite me thinking that anybody should have the ability to redeem themselves, I don’t think there is a way back to international duty for Mason Greenwood.”

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Exclusive: Archie Gray is the right player at the right time for Tottenham says Collymore

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:10:34 +0000

When Tottenham Hotspur announced that they’d signed Archie Gray from Leeds United, it was something of a surprise.

One of Elland Road’s proudest sons despite his young age, Gray comes from a long line of family men to have played for the all whites.

Their inability to get back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking is ultimately what has ensured that Gray, a player sure to have a brilliant future in the game, was moved on.

Financial Fair Play is crippling a lot of clubs who are having to get by, by selling their best players.

Archie Gray has got Stan Collymore excited

Leeds’ pain is Spurs’ evident gain, with former professional and CaughtOffside columnist, Stan Collymore, believing it’s a brilliant move for the North London outfit.

“Archie Gray is already nearing a half century of performances at just 18, so he will know what he’s about as a player. He’s a big lad as well, six foot two, and he’s only going to get bigger, stronger and more versatile in the next two or three years,” he said for his exclusive column.

“He can play as a centre mid or as a right-back and he’s got pedigree after turning out for England in the U15, U16, U17, U19, U20 and U21 age groups.

Archie Gray in action for previous club Leeds United

“I think he will go on potentially and play for England, though he’s eligible for Scotland as well.

“I imagine that whoever the next England manager is, he will be watching over the next season or two at Spurs, but they may well call him up for the England senior squad sooner rather than later.

“Personally, I think it’s a great move. I’m a massive fan of Tottenham, the way that their Academy has done things etc…

“The facilities are arguably the best in the world at Spurs Lodge, they don’t necessarily just promote ex-players as coaches in the academy and they’ve got Ange Postecoglou, who’s a very minded open manager.

“Archie Gray and his family are all Celtic fans and love Ange, so I’m really excited. I think it’s the right player, the right move, the right club at the right time and I think that he will get opportunities to play.

“The world’s his oyster.”

The 18-year-old will surely understand the pressures that will come with playing for such a high-profile outfit, and despite being a big name at Leeds, he will have to prove himself all over again at Tottenham.

If he does just that, however, Spurs will have landed themselves a bargain.

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Spain are brilliant but it’s Georgia that have impressed me at Euro 2024 says Collymore

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 12:53:50 +0000

Euro 2024 has been a fairly mixed bag of games, as might have been expected.

Spain have sailed through the tournament so far and look to be the favourites for most people ahead of the quarter-finals.

Notwithstanding that they’ll have to get past hosts, Germany, there are still some heavyweights left in the competition that might have something to say about whether it’s La Roja that lifts the trophy or not.

One team that has already exited the competition is Georgia, and CaughtOffside columnist, Stan Collymore, was hugely impressed with their – and Turkey’s – contribution.

Georgia playing with so much joy

“For me, the teams that have impressed me the most have been Georgia and Turkey. Georgia came into this tournament like ‘this is it, this is as good as it gets,’ and they’ve just gone for it. Turkey is a different animal because of the Turkish media,” he said for his exclusive column.

“You know it’s a big football in nation but they’ve always underachieved, just as England have underachieved.

“When I look at the talent that they’ve got… Demiral, Ayhan, Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz and Yilmaz – they have been superb. Getting the ball, turning with it, running with it, creating chances, sitting on the counter.

“Austria were very good overall and might have qualified on another day with a little bit more look. It was nice to see Marko Arnautovic back in the big time too.

“If I’m looking at other nations that you’re expecting to be there or thereabouts, you can’t really look much beyond Spain. Obviously the young lads, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are exceeding all expectations.

Spain have been brilliant at Euro 2024

“The squad have stuck with the remit of the 2010/2012 Spanish team but with a bit more flair. A big shout out for Rodri too. When you look at players in the big leagues that are mentally and physically fatigued, this guy is managing his minutes extraordinarily well. He seems to play at 70% pace all the time, so you’ve never really seen him making long, bursting runs and his timing is great. He’s a very big man. He’s a very big, physically impressive athlete. And obviously he weighed in with a cracking goal against against Georgia.

“Ah yes, Georgia. Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia and their team-mates had been playing with so much joy, with so much happiness… unless someone wins the Euros by scoring a hat-trick in the final or something amazing, I think that a lot of people will be nodding in agreement that the attacking play of the Georgians at their very best has been great to watch.

“It’s a festival, a celebration at the end of a European season, or at the end of a global season, where all of these amazing countries come together and entertain us in the sunshine.

“So for me, Georgia have been the team to watch at this season’s tournament.”

Turkey remain in the competition of course, and they’ll be hoping to spring a surprise and beat the Netherlands, thus setting up a semi-final with either Switzerland or England.

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Collymore: Don’t blame Gareth Southgate for England’s woes

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 12:22:06 +0000

It’s not been the best of tournaments for Gareth Southgate and his England team.

The Three Lions came into Euro 2024 as favourites, but they’ve looked incredibly poor in all of their games so far.

Much of the blame for that has fallen at Southgate’s door, with a system picked that just hasn’t appeared to have worked.

Trying to fit all of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in behind Harry Kane is an experiment that has needed to be changed, and yet the England coach has steadfastly refused to do so.

Tiredness to blame for poor England performances

As we get to the business end of the tournament now, with just three wins needed for glory and the first major silverware since 1966, Southgate has got to get things right.

However, as former professional and CaughtOffside columnist, Stan Collymore notes, it’s not the coach that’s the problem.

“If you look at the teams that are starting to get to the pointy end of the Euros, tiredness has become a major factor. I saw France and Holland coming out at half-time of their games recently and they looked wasted. Everyone was like ‘here we go again,’” he said for his exclusive column.

“This is going to be a major problem and will be at the World Cup in only two years time.

“When is the madness going to end, whereby we celebrate nations like Georgia and Turkey rightly for the freshness in their performances, but we castigate players like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, or maybe some of the Dutch guys for their performances.

Gareth Southgate has taken the brunt of fan ire for some below par England performances

“The answer is the same and is very simple.

“Some of the guys that have looked incredibly fresh, lively and on their toes whilst playing a super brand of football have been precisely that because the intensity, on and off the pitch, isn’t there for a lot of Georgian, Turkish and Austrian players.

“For England players, French players, for some of the Germans and some of the Dutch etc. it is, so we’ve got to address it.

“Whether it be Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe or other high profile stars, we want to be seeing our very, very best players playing their very, very best football at the end of a tournament, not in September, October for their clubs.

“We’ve got to stop flogging dead horses.

“If you play in the Premier League and La Liga, and to a lesser degree, the Bundesliga, Ligue Un and Serie A, the intensity of the media interest as well as the intensity of the games means that you are just spent.

“I’m a massive fan of players only playing 50 professional games a season. That’s it, across all tournaments. That would focus minds, but I think that in the short term, a player that gets knocked out at the Euros this coming weekend does not go back to their club team for six full weeks.”

It should be remembered that there will be changes to the Club World Cup and Champions League next season, and at the end of the campaign there is the Nations League tournament. Not to mention the World Cup at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The football authorities really do need to take a long, hard look at themselves if they want their major stars to continue to give the paying public value for money.

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